Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m Diver Watch Hands-On

The popularity of dive watches means that there are always going to be lots of new ones each year. One of my favorite new ones for 2011 is from Ball, and it is the Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m diver. I will just call it the "Ball 3000m" diver for short. This super diver is water resistant to 3000 meters and carries Ball's signature cool engineered looks. Chunky and legible, it shouldn't be too expensive to boot.

I don't know all the details yet, but I will tell you what I know. Size is at least 45mm wide, and as you can see the watch is quite thick. Ball is offering the 3000m diver with two dial styles - not sure how many colors. The one most people will prefer is likely the one seen here with the black dial. It has a more simple face that is easy to read thanks to the raised hour markers and large hands. Ball being Ball, everything is done in tritium gas tubes (that glow naturally and don't need light to charge). The dial has several layers and makes for a good look with the case.

The other dial style is meant to further emphasize the three dimensional look and all the layers thereof. There is a lot more going on here. I would say that it is less utilitarian and more "Ball branding." The watch case is thick - it needs to be for that deep 3000 meters of water resistance. Sitting tall on your wrist it still has very curved lugs and is comfortable to wear. On the back side of the watch is a map engraving. The case is also antimagnetic and contains a Swiss automatic movement - likely an ETA 2824 or alike.

As you can see, Ball will offer the Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m with a vertical stripe textured rubber strap (that sits flush with the case) or one of their very good metal bracelets with accordingly nice deployment clasp. The 3000m isn't just a nice diver, it is one of the best looking watches ever to come from Ball. As these are prototype models expect a few potential changes before the final versions are released. Really impressing from both a design and utility standpoint. Look for these watches someone later in 2011.

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Fueled by an unshakable love for horology and a general curiosity for intricate things, Ariel Adams founded aBlogtoWatch in 2007 as a means of sharing his passion. Since then, ABTW has become the highest trafficked blog on luxury timepieces, and Ariel has become a contributor to other online publications such as Forbes, Departures and Tech Crunch, to name just a few. His conversational writing style and inclusive attitude brings a wider appreciation for watches the world over, and that's just the way he likes it.
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I’d take the crazier one with the numerals built from tritium. That is more “Ball” to me, and is much more unique.

Why is the resistance rating so pathetic though? I was planning on a weekend away with the lady to the the Challenger Deep – this watch won’t even get me 1/3 of the way. 3000m. Geez.

weatherman

I like the unnumbered version best – the trit is great. But I just can’t get myself to appreciate a diver with a stainless steel bezel.

http://www.time2watch.net Time2watch

I do not think that is hat is not a SS bezel, but a ceramic insert…. Like it better now?

witch watch

The version with the numerals when the tritium is “on” looks fantastic and a conversation piece for sure, you just know the guys in the pub would have you swtich it on all the time but it is too branded as you say Ariel and just to much as a day to day when normal for me so black it is.

witch watch

The version with the numerals when the tritium is “on” looks fantastic and a conversation piece for sure, you just know the guys in the pub would have you switch it on all the time but it is too branded as you say Ariel and just to much as a day to day when normal for me so black it is.

Ulysses

The numerals are formed of sections of tubing of varying length. It’s basically a very thin fluorescent tube except that it is powered by radioactive tritium gas that fills the inside of the tube – this energises the phosphor coating on the inside of the tube causing it to glow. The advantage is that these tubes glow all the time, but after several years they fade. The coating can also be “charged up” by ordinary light, so even when the tritium decays too much for the tubes to glow on their own, they are not completely useless.

Ulysses

I forgot to add, in the above photo the watch is bathed in UV light which highly exaggerates the glowing effect, since photons in the UV band have a much higher energy than those in the visible spectrum. From what i’ve heard, tritium tubing is actually pretty weak in general use, the main advantage being that it’s always visible even if your watch has been under your sleeve all day.